SLDV

SLDV stands for System-Level Design Verification, a methodology used in hardware and electronic system design to validate the behavior and interfaces of a system before detailed RTL or physical design is completed. The goal is to confirm that the architecture meets the specified requirements, that component interactions function correctly, and that timing and power constraints can be satisfied, while exposing risks early in the development cycle.

Core activities include building abstract, executable models of the system using languages and tools such as SystemC, MATLAB/Simulink, or virtual platforms; developing a verification plan with measurable coverage goals; and running simulations that exercise typical and edge-case scenarios, including software-to-hardware interactions, communication protocols, and power state transitions. Verification results are mapped to requirements to identify gaps and guide design decisions. Where possible, formal methods or transaction-level modeling are used to improve rigor and speed, and results from system-level tests are often fed into subsequent RTL verification and hardware-in-the-loop testing.

Benefits of SLDV include earlier defect detection, reduced risk, shorter time-to-market, and improved confidence in system interoperability. Challenges involve bridging abstraction gaps between high-level models and eventual hardware, integrating diverse tools and data formats, and scaling coverage for complex systems.

In practice, SLDV is commonly used in semiconductor development, embedded systems, and automotive or aerospace programs that require rigorous early verification of system behavior. Note: the acronym SLDV can have other meanings in different domains, but this article describes the system-level design verification meaning.